When was the Taj Mahal built?

Mughal emperor Shah Jahan ordered the Taj Mahal after his favourite wife, Mumtaz Mahal, died in childbirth in 1631. Construction on the bank of the Yamuna River in Agra started around 1632, and the white marble mausoleum itself was largely complete by about 1643. The surrounding mosque, guest house, gardens and gateway took roughly another decade, bringing the whole project to around 1653. Historians estimate that some 20,000 artisans and labourers worked on it, using materials brought from across India and Asia. The main dome rises to about 73 metres, and the monument became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1983.